The open fire hydrant is a cultural phenomenon that photographers have been capturing for over seventy years. From Harlem to Hoboken, these iconic images from the ICP collection illustrate the joy of this popular summer pastime. Charles Pratt, Hoboken, 1963 (87.199) Leonard … Continue reading →

Eugène Atget, Escalier 25 rue des Blancs-Manteaux, 1903-04 (2008.112.21) French photographer Eugène Atget, (1857-1927) was an unsuccessful actor and painter before he became a photographer in the late 1880s. During his lifetime he focused on documenting Paris and its surroundings, … Continue reading →

June 21 is the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, the day the sun reaches its farthest point north of the equator. Since the sun is higher in the sky, today receives more sunlight than any other day of the … Continue reading →

John Loengard, Florette and Jacques-Henri Lartigue, 1981 (189.1987) In fashion, polka dots are usually associated with a retro taste in fabric patterns and a classic style. This pattern has evolved from its appearance on Minnie Mouse’s dress and bow to … Continue reading →

Justine Kurland, Smoke Bombs, 1998 (689.2000) In Smoke Bombs, from one of Kurland’s earliest bodies series, Runaway Girls, the artist orchestrates narratives within landscapes, often the American West, and features teenaged girls as her models. The uncharted or forgotten spaces … Continue reading →

The American photographer Lee Friedlander is well-known and respected for his documentation of the American social landscape. Though there are many wonderful things to write of Friedlander’s street shots and portraits of jazz icons, I have always been most interested in his strange … Continue reading →